Snatcher held, Rs 7 lakh worth chains seized

In view of unabated gold chain snatchings under Vanasthalipuram police Division limits in Cyberabad, a special team was formed to track down the movements of the offenders and the crime party of Vanasthalipuram PS apprehended a professional snatcher Challagali Muralikrishna Raju, 24, of Vaidehinagar in Vanasthalipuram under Hayathnagar mandal, RR district. The accused is a native of Palikonda village in Repalle mandal of Guntur district.

Police said the accused was nabbed while he was moving under suspicious circumstances at NGO Colony in Vanasthalipuram. During interrogation, the accused confessed to have committed 12 snatchings single handed under the limits of PS Vanasthalipuram and PS Meerpet since November last year. He said his father died in 2007 and he was living with his mother. He said he completed B.Sc (B.Z.C) in 2012 and worked in Maruthi show-room near the Panama godowns at Vanasthalipuram for some time and left the job due to his health problems.

After he left the job, he was addicted to voices like consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes. To overcome the financial difficulties, he planned to commit property offences. In the mean time, he came to know about snatchings in Newspapers and watching TV. He got an idea to make easy money and started snatching offences since November last year. He confessed that he had committed 12 snatching offences under in the limits of Vanasthalipuram and Meerpet limits. Based on his confession, the police recovered 25 tolas of gold ornaments worth Rs 7 lakh from his possession and produced him in the court.